Spring Break
Arkansas ready for first signing day with Petrino at helm
Razorback Road
Matt Jones
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
Wednesday is National Signing Day across the country. First-year Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino will announce his first class of recruits at the school later today.
And while it could take two or three years for the class to reach its full potential, Petrino's grade will be out by midnight whether this class is a success or failure.
It's been a difficult transition for Petrino, who took over the program from Houston Nutt Dec. 11.
Let's not forget ESPN's Sean Salisbury looking into the SportsCenter cameras and telling recruits not to go to Arkansas.
"Petrino's a coward," he said. "He'll leave you just like he has everywhere else he's been."
And while the Mitchell Report and later the newest flavors of the week saved Arkansas and Petrino from further lambasting on national television, it's hard to forget the soap opera-esque atmosphere surrounding Arkansas football since 2005.
From an image standpoint, Petrino and Arkansas could easily be defined as a match made in gridiron hell.
That's not necessarily the best place when it comes to the cut-throat world of college football recruiting. Nonetheless, Petrino has done as good a job as can be expected selling players on an entirely different style of play.
More importantly, he has done a great job of selling himself to players and parents that no doubt heard the comments from the national media upon his departure from the Atlanta Falcons with three games left in the season.
He's done so well, in fact, Arkansas has been able to keep the good majority of players that committed to Nutt's staff. Maybe even a better sign is the players Arkansas has swayed from other schools.
There's Tyler Wilson, an impressive gun-slinger from Greenwood and starting quarterback for back-to-back state champions. Wilson passed for 50 touchdowns during his junior campaign, including six alone in the state championship game. Arkansas was able to sway Wilson away from Gus Malzahn and Tulsa.
And while it could take two or three years for the class to reach its full potential, Petrino's grade will be out by midnight whether this class is a success or failure.
It's been a difficult transition for Petrino, who took over the program from Houston Nutt Dec. 11.
Let's not forget ESPN's Sean Salisbury looking into the SportsCenter cameras and telling recruits not to go to Arkansas.
"Petrino's a coward," he said. "He'll leave you just like he has everywhere else he's been."
And while the Mitchell Report and later the newest flavors of the week saved Arkansas and Petrino from further lambasting on national television, it's hard to forget the soap opera-esque atmosphere surrounding Arkansas football since 2005.
From an image standpoint, Petrino and Arkansas could easily be defined as a match made in gridiron hell.
That's not necessarily the best place when it comes to the cut-throat world of college football recruiting. Nonetheless, Petrino has done as good a job as can be expected selling players on an entirely different style of play.
More importantly, he has done a great job of selling himself to players and parents that no doubt heard the comments from the national media upon his departure from the Atlanta Falcons with three games left in the season.
He's done so well, in fact, Arkansas has been able to keep the good majority of players that committed to Nutt's staff. Maybe even a better sign is the players Arkansas has swayed from other schools.
There's Tyler Wilson, an impressive gun-slinger from Greenwood and starting quarterback for back-to-back state champions. Wilson passed for 50 touchdowns during his junior campaign, including six alone in the state championship game. Arkansas was able to sway Wilson away from Gus Malzahn and Tulsa.
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